Dec 14 Justin Sayre

Justin Sayre is a performer on the rise! He's an actor and stand-up comedian who hosts "The Meeting," at The Duplex in NYC, a monthly comedy/variety show for homosexuals and their friends. Justin's humor is raw, honest, and down-right funny. In 2006, Justin received rave reviews for his cabaret, “Without A Song.” As an actor, he has studied with the finest teachers in New York. As a gay, Justin has excelled at scarf placement, Judy hands, and a healthy but firm love of the American musical. Catch Justin hosting "The Meeting" this Thursday, December 16 at 9:30pm at The Duplex in NYC (61 Christopher Street @ 7th Ave). For tickets, click here!

1. Who or what inspired you to become a performer? There were two...One was Leonard Bernstein of course for his passion, but also because I had a huge crush on him and even at age 5 I thought he is someone I'd like to sleep with. The other thing that really made me want to be a performer was the movie musical "Gypsy." I loved when Natalie Wood, who was a brunette like me and when she said into the mirror "Oh Mamma, I am a pretty girl." I thought "Oh that's what I want to be, even if I had to be a stripper to do it. That's alright."

2. How did you come up with the idea/concept for "The Meeting?" "The Meeting" was actually started as a joke. I thought I was one of the people who was most on the outside of contemporary gay culture. I don't tend to go to a lot of popular gay bars or any of that, but I have been fascinated with gay culture. What is it? I had thought there was reading list with the likes Edmund White and Andre Gide, but that's not the case. You can be gay any way you want. So, "The Meeting" was a response to that, but also a response to "Prop 8," and the sort of resurgence of gay activism. I felt like there was a lot of information that wasn't getting out there and discussed like the VP of Urban Outfitters gave a huge amount of money to "Prop 8." There was no boycott, nobody discussed it. I thought how could I kind of discuss these things; because I'm not a political kind of person and I can't stand on a bandstand and yell at people, I'm not Emma Goldman. I aspire to be. So I thought I'd write this show with this imaginary organization called the "International World of Sodomites." And get the information out there in a funny and relevant way.

3. Who's the one person you haven't worked with that you would like to? Oooh, there are so many. I'd love to have Justin Bond do the show because he's my hero in all things. I'd also love to have Elaine Stritch do the show. We both have great legs.

4. What's the best advice you've ever received? "Rimming is a talent." This was a wonderful piece of advice and it changed my life. I'm now going to frame this interview and send it to my mother.

5. Favorite place to rehearse on your own? Oh, my bathroom. Not because the water is very soothing, but because it echos and it allows me to imagine how it would sound in a much larger room.

6. Favorite comedian? Oh, there's so many, but Jack Benny for sure. I loved him as a kid and that's where I learned my comedic timing.

7. Favorite place to go on a date in NYC? Where ever somebody nice takes me and tells me I'm pretty. Soft lighting and cheap drinks also help.

9. Favorite website? Hahaha...Are you talking the one I'm most frequently on or my favorite? Me: I could do both. Justin: My friends started this game on X-Tube where you try to put in some asinine word from everyday life like stares or eggs, just some noun, and then you have to watch whatever videos come up which are usually disgusting. But the website I'm most frequently on is Hulu because I love TV. I watch "Grey's Anatomy" and "Cougar Town."

10. Superman or Wonder Woman? Wonder Woman because I like her outfit.

BONUS QUESTIONS:

11. Do you have any strange or unusual talent that nobody knows about? I can sing any song in the voice of Robert Goulet.

12. If you could dream about anyone while you sleep, who would it be? If it was a regular dream, I'd dream about going on a fabulous date in Paris with Martha Gellhorn because I think we would have been wonderful friends, but if this was a sex dream, I would dream about Xavier Dolan who is this young fresh filmmaker.